In a contest that was so physical it resembled a football game at some points, the Amelia Raiders (8-1, 5-0) solidified their hold on the top slot in the James River District with a 61-44 win over Goochland on Friday night.

  The Raiders employed a pressure defense that resulted in 20 turnovers for the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Amelia’s fast break offense capitalized on many of them.

  “That’s what we do,” said Amelia coach Everett Watkins. “We try to be physical and I thought we could have been more physical than we were tonight. Most of these guys played football so they’re used to it.”

  The loss was the third in a row for the Bulldogs and left Coach Preston Gordon scratching his head. Goochland fell to Buckingham earlier in the week, in a game that the Bulldogs led for three quarters.

  “Then we just went flat,” Gordon said. “A lot of that had to do with the fact our two best scorers fouled out.”

  Cody Johnson and James Brooks both left early in the match up against the Knights.

  “I think we sometimes get frustrated on offense and take it out on defense. We don’t make the best decisions defensively,” Gordon said.

  Facing Amelia, Gordon felt the lack of outside shooting and turnovers made the difference against a talented Raider squad. “We got eaten up down low tonight,” he said. “We told our kids we would have to gamble. We knew their offense came off their defense but we didn’t contest enough on the 3-point and outside shots.”

  Amelia’s Dante Bournes hit three 3-pointers and finished the night with 29 points.

  Gordon felt the turnovers were uncharacteristic and not an indication of a team that gave a good effort in the loss. “We’re a better team than that,” he said. “They were tough, but our guys can play better than they did tonight. It’s frustrating when you see the potential and know we’re not playing up to that potential.”

  After Goochland jumped to a quick 6-2 lead, Amelia righted itself and the teams exchanged baskets for most of the first period. The Bulldogs pulled close in the second quarter but two quick Raider baskets and a 3-pointer left Goochland trailing 43-25 at the break.

  Amelia maintained their lead in the second half and the Bulldogs never got closer than 10.

Buckingham 62, Goochland 52
GOOCHLAND (6-4, 3-3 James River) — Ce. Johnson 9, Z. Johnson 7, E. Smith 3, Mattox 4, S. Smith 2, Co. Johnson 7, Adams 7, Hayden 5, Brooks 6, Talmage 2, Zbinden 0. Totals 20 7-14 52.
BUCKINGHAM (7-1, 3-1) — Ayres 15, Johnson 10, Briley 7, Randolph 15, Koonce 0, Scott 1, Bartee 14. Totals 21 20-43 62.
Goochland….........  21 16 9   6 — 52
Buckingham…...... 15 18 10 19 — 62
3-point goals — G: Ce. Johnson 2, Co. Johnson.
Highlights — G: Zakell Johnson 9 rebounds, Nathan Adams 8 rebounds.

Amelia 61, Goochland 44
AMELIA (8-1, 5-0 James River) — Bournes 26, Ward 5, Williams 2, Garland 1, J. Johnson 10, Haskins 6, Baker 3, M. Johnson 0, Bradley 0, Wingo 8. Totals 21 15-22 61.
GOOCHLAND (6-5, 3-4) — Ce. Johnson 6, Z. Johnson 8, Norris 0, E. Smith 2, Mattox 0, S. Smith 4, Co. Johnson 0, Adams 2, Hayden 10, Brooks 8, Talmage 4, Zbinden 0, Stone 0. Totals 20 4-7 44.
Amelia…................ 16 26 6 13 — 61
Goochland….......... 20 5 9 10 — 44
3-point goals — A: Bournes 3, Ward.
Highlights — G: Harry Talmage 10 rebounds; Zakell Johnson 8 rebounds.

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